This month, we share details about recent KBI travels and immersion visits in March, one of the busiest months of the immersion calendar.
The KBI on the Road: Director of Education and Advocacy Joanna Williams visited Fordham University in New York from March 26–28; her upcoming trips include attending an April 23–25 meeting about Jesuit works related to migration in El Paso, and presentations at Seattle University, April 30–May 2. From April 5–7, Father Sean Carroll, S.J., Executive … [Read more...]

The need for immigration court reform is urgent and overdue. Biased comments from judges, limitations on evidence considered, and other violations of due process create an environment in which immigrants cannot receive a fair and just hearing. A recent complaint (covered in this month’s Media Report) has called the operations of an El Paso court into question. Moreover, the overwhelming backlog of cases—close to 900,000—means immigrants must wait months or years for their cases to be … [Read more...]

Friends and donors gathered in Phoenix to celebrate the KBI’s endeavors of the past year, and to support our ongoing mission of humane, just, and workable migration between the U.S. and Mexico. This year, the dinner raised over a quarter of a million dollars for the KBI’s continuing work and a new migrant center with expanded space and resources.
As our largest fundraiser of the year, the Annual KBI Dinner is always a powerful expression of support for the KBI, and a form of accompaniment … [Read more...]

Fredys arrived at the KBI comedor from Honduras two years ago, fleeing violence and recruitment from organized crime. When he decided to seek asylum, the KBI/Florence Project Legal Fellow took on his case. Despite the obstacles, his claim was approved, an example of how legal representation can impact outcomes. Today, Fredys lives in Virginia, and returned to Arizona last month to share his story at the KBI Dinner.
In his hometown of Choluteca, Honduras, 26-year-old Fredys Sevilla … [Read more...]

Our report this month covers the conditions that drive Central American migration; due process concerns in a Texas immigration court; a halt to the U.S. policy of requiring asylum seekers to remain in Mexico as their claims are processed; and the KBI’s new migrant center, now under construction and designed for expanded services and programming.
Reasons for Migration: For the past five years, photographer Fred Ramos has documented the political, social, and environmental conditions that … [Read more...]